Electric guest-call



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. 0. SMITH. ELECTRIC GUEST CALL.

No. 537,860. Patent ed Apr. 23, 1895.

Azzarns 5.

(No Model.) 2 She'etsSheet 2.

I. 0. SMITH.

ELECTRIC GUEST CALL.

Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

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- .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 0. SMITH, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

ELECTRlC GUEST-CALL.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 537,860, dated April 23, 1 895.

Application filed June 2, 1894. Serial No. 513,260. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK 0. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of 'Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Guest-Call Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric guest call alarms, for use in hotels, lodging houses, &c.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby hotel or lodging house keepers and clerks may be automatically reminded of the time when their guests are to be called.

In the following description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure I is a front view with a portion of the exterior broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. II is a detail view of the clock enlarged, and with the dial plate broken away to show the exposed points of the connecting wires and the revolving, circuit, closing finger. Fig. III is an enlarged sectional view of the key-board, drawn on the line 03 0c of Fig. I, showing one of the contact keys in place.

Like parts are referred to throughout by means of the same reference letters.

A clock A is located at or near the center of a supporting frame B, and is connected by the wire 0, with the positive pole of an electric call battery D. Around the front of the clock, underneath the dial plate E, is a ring of insulating material F, through which a series of wires G project, presenting exposed contact points H in the interior of the ring, separated at equal distances from each other. I have providedforty-eight (48) of these wires, presenting forty-eight (48) points H, in the interior of the ring, one of which will be passed by the hour hand of the clock every fifteen minutes. An elastic circuit closing finger I is attached to the shaft of the hour hand J, and projects underneath the hour hand 'in such a manner as to strike the points H in succession with the movement of the clock. The wires G, exterior to the ring F, are insulated and collected in a bundle K, which extends downward to the rear side of the keyboard L, at the foot of the frame.

The key-board is provided with holes M, forty-eight in number to correspond with the number of the wires G. These holes are arranged in twelve radial lines of four each to correspond with the dial plate of the clock, each outer hole representing one of the twelve hours, and occupying the same position in the circle that its corresponding hour mark occupies upon the clock dial and the three inner holes representing the intermediate quarter hours respectively. Surrounding each hole at the rear side of the keyboard, is a small independent metallic plate N. Each wire is connected to a plate N, corresponding in its location on the key-board to the location of the contact point [I at the other end of the wire, with reference to the dial plate of the clock. On the front side of the key-board L, is a metallic facing 0, having openings P communicating through it to the holes M of the key-board. This facing is connected by the return circuit wire R to'an electric alarm bell S, which is also connected by the wire T with the negative pole of the battery D.

Keys U, when inserted through the facing O and key-board L, electrically connect the clock wires G with the return circuit wire R, by means of the metallic connection thus formed between one of the plates N and the facing 0. When the elastic finger I strikes the contact point of a wire G, which is connected by a key to the facing O and wire R, the circuit is closed and the alarm bell rings. Room checks W, hung upon the projecting end of the inserted key,indicate the numbers of the rooms to be called at that time. Keys are provided for all the openings and may be kept in any convenient place near the frame, or hung on hooks attached to the frame near the facing O. The space in the frame, not occupied by the operative mechanism, may be divided into panels and used for advertising purposes.

This device is designed to be placed near the clerks desk and is operated as follows: When a guest desires to be called at a certain time, a key is inserted through the key-board at the point which represents that time, according to the reading of the board as above described. The room checks W, for all guests to be called at that time, are then hung upon the projecting end of the key. "When the movement of the clock closes the circuit by means of the elastic finger I, the ringing of ICO the bell warns the clerk that a call must be tached to the hour arbor of the clock and made. An inspection of the checks shows adapted to form electrical contactsuccessively 20 What rooms are to be called. These checks, with said contact points, together with an inwhen not in use, may be hung upon hooks on sulating keyboard L provided with the con- 5 the frame so as to be convenient at all times tact plates N attached severally to the wires to the user. G, the dial plate 0 connected to the bell by a Having thus described my invention, What single wire R and removable switch key U for 25 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters connecting said dial plates severally with the Patent, iscontact plates, with removable room indicat- 1 3 An electric guest call alarm, consisting of ing checks adapted to be hung upon said keys,

the combination of a clock, an electric bell substantially as described. and abatteryhaving its poles electrically con- In testimony whereof I affix my signature o nected with said clock bell respectively,a ring in the presence of two witnesses. of insulating material F surrounding the clock 15 mechanism, aseries of insulated wires Gwith FRANK Mn 1 exposed ends projecting through said ring to Witnesses: form a series of contact points I-l around the MILLS TOURTELLOTTE,

clock mechanism, a circuit closing finger at- E. G. BOYNTON. 

